Dembélé began his professional career atRennes, where he was namedLigue 1 Young Player of the Year in his sole season with the first team. In 2016, he transferred to German clubBorussia Dortmund, winning theDFB-Pokal in his debut campaign and scoring in thefinal. Regarded as one of the most promising young talents in world football, he joined Spanish sideBarcelona in 2017 for an initial fee of €105 million, making him at the time thejoint-second most expensive player in history, alongsidePaul Pogba and behindNeymar. Although he did not fully meet the expectations placed on him at the club, Dembélé won multiple domestic honors with Barcelona, including threeLa Liga, twoCopa del Rey, and twoSupercopa de España titles.
After winning 20 caps and scoring five goals at youth level, Dembélé made his senior international debut for France in 2016. He was a member of the France squad that won the2018 FIFA World Cup, also featuring atUEFA Euro 2020, the2022 World Cup (finishing asrunners-up) andEuro 2024.
Dembélé made his senior debut forRennes' reserve side in theChampionnat de France Amateur, on 6 September 2014, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute forZana Allée. He effectively set upAlseny Kourouma for the second goal of a 2–0 home win over the reserves of Breton rivalsGuingamp.[12] On 9 November, he scored his first career goal, again coming off the bench in a game at the Stade de la Piverdière, this time against the reserves ofLaval.[13] He totalled 13 goals in 18 games in his first season, including ahat-trick on 16 May 2015 in a 6–1 win overHérouville.[14]
On 6 November 2015, Dembélé made his professional debut for Rennes' first team inLigue 1 againstAngers, replacingKamil Grosicki for the last five minutes of the game.[15] On 22 November, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal for the first team againstBordeaux, opening a 2–2 draw atRoazhon Park.[16] On 9 January 2016, Dembélé found the net again for Rennes, as they came from 0–2 down to draw 2–2 against regional rivalsLorient at home.[17] On 6 March, he scored his first Ligue 1hat-trick in a 4–1 victory overNantes in theDerby Breton.[18]
On 18 March, he scored his tenth goal of the season in a 5–2 win againstOlympique de Marseille at theStade Vélodrome.[19] He ended his debut season with twelve goals from 29 matches, after scoring twice in a 3–1 win againstStade Reims on 2 April.[20]
On 26 April 2017, in theDFB-Pokal semi-final against Bayern Munich, Dembélé assistedPierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 69th-minute equaliser and scored the winning goal in the 74th minute, helping Dortmund reach the2017 DFB-Pokal Final.[25] On 27 May, in the decisive match againstEintracht Frankfurt at theBerlin Olympiastadion, he scored the first goal of a 2–1 victory as Dortmund clinched their first major title in five years. Dembélé was subsequently namedman of the match.[26]
After scoring six goals and recording 13 assists during2016–17, Dembélé was named to the Bundesliga Team of the Season and awarded the league's Rookie of the Season award.[27][28]
Barcelona
On 25 August 2017,La Liga sideBarcelona announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Dembélé for €105 million plus a reported €40 million add-ons.[29][30] On 28 August, he had his medical and signed a five-year contract, with hisbuyout clause set at €400 million.[31] Barcelona had soldNeymar toParis Saint-Germain (PSG) for €222 million, so the deal meant that Dembélé became thejoint-second most expensive player (in euros), along withPaul Pogba. Rennes received a reported €20 million from Borussia Dortmund as a result of the sale,[32] and Évreux 27 were also due part of the fee.[11] He was handed the number 11 shirt previously worn by Neymar.[33][34]
2017–18: First season and domestic double
Dembélé made his debut on 9 September as a 68th-minute substitute forGerard Deulofeu in a 5–0Derbi barceloní win overEspanyol at theCamp Nou, assisting the final goal byLuis Suárez.[35] In his first league start eight days later atGetafe, he injured his hamstring and was ruled out for four months.[36] He was given the medical all-clear on 2 January 2018,[37] but a couple weeks later, he again injured himself againstReal Sociedad and was ruled out for up to four weeks.[38]
On 14 March 2018, Dembélé scored his first goal for Barcelona, netting the second goal in a 3–0 second leg win in theChampions League round of 16 againstChelsea.[39] On 17 April, he scored his first La Liga goal, the opening goal in an eventual 2–2 draw withCelta Vigo.[40] On 9 May, Dembélé scored twice, marking the first brace of his Barcelona career, in a 5–1 home victory overVillarreal.[41] Dembélé won both theCopa del Rey and La Liga winners' medals in his first season in Spain, with the 20-year-old scoring four goals in 24 appearances across all competitions.[42]
2018–19: Supercopa de España and second La Liga title
On 12 August 2018, Dembélé scored the winning goal againstSevilla in theSupercopa de España, in an eventual 2–1 victory to win Barcelona their 13thSupercopa de España title.[43] He opened hisLa Liga season's goal tally by scoring the only goal of the game againstReal Valladolid, on 25 August, away at theEstadio José Zorrilla.[44] On 18 September, Dembélé scored his first Champions League goal ofthe season, helping Barcelona beatPSV 4–0 at the Camp Nou.[45] On 4 November, he inspired Barcelona to a 3–2 comeback away againstRayo Vallecano, scoring the 2–2 equaliser with a half-volley in the 87th minute.[46] On 11 December, he scored a remarkable solo goal againstTottenham Hotspur outpacing many defenders, finishing with a cool left footed shot pastHugo Lloris. He won the UEFA Champions League Goal of the Week for that goal.[47] After the match, Barcelona managerErnesto Valverde praised the youngster, saying "He has made a great goal, within reach of players with his talent."[48] He finished the season with 14 goals, 8 of them in the league, as his club managed to win another La Liga title.[49]
2019–21: Recurring injuries
Dembélé injured his left hamstring in the opening match of the2019–20 La Liga season, a 0–1 defeat againstAthletic Bilbao, and was expected to miss five weeks.[50] He returned as a half-time substitute in Barcelona's 2–1 home win over Villarreal on 24 September. He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–0 win over Sevilla on 6 October, but was later sent off for dissent.[51] On 27 November, in aChampions Leaguegroup match against his former club Borussia Dortmund, Dembélé suffered an injury which led to his substitution after 24 minutes.[52] It was later confirmed by Barcelona that he would miss the following ten weeks with a thigh injury.[53]
In February 2020, on his return to training, he suffered a serious hamstring tear which ended his season.[54][55]
Dembélé returned to the field for the first time in ten months as a 70th-minute substitute forAnsu Fati in Barcelona'sLa Liga fixture against Villarreal on 27 September 2020.[56] He scored his first goal in 380 days in the team's firstChampions League fixture of theseason againstFerencváros on 20 October.[57]
2021–23: Hamstring injury and contract extension
Dembélé suffered a hamstring injury when playing with France national team in the delayedUEFA Euro 2020 in 2021. His injury required surgery, and was operated on inTurku, Finland, by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in late June 2021.[58][59] Dembélé was also operated on by Lempainen andSakari Orava in 2017 and 2020.[60][61]
On 10 May 2022, Dembélé provided two assists in a 3–1 home victory over Celta Vigo. It was his 10th and 11th league assists in 2022.[62] He finished the2021–22 La Liga season as the league's top playmaker with thirteen assists.[63]
On 14 July 2022, Dembélé extended his contract with Barcelona until 30 June 2024.[64][65] His release clause was set to €50 million, and later raised to €100 million on 1 August 2023.[66]
Paris Saint-Germain
2023–24: First season in Paris and domestic double
On 12 August 2023, Dembélé joined Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain on a contract until June 2028, for a fee of €50.4 million.[67][68][69] He was initially assigned the number 23 jersey, but switched to the number 10 following Neymar's departure from the club.[70][71]
On 20 August, Dembélé made his PSG debut, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw away toToulouse.[72] On 24 September, he got his first goal involvement for PSG, providing the assist forGonçalo Ramos's first goal in a 4–0Le Classique win overMarseille.[73] On 24 November, Dembélé scored his first goal for the club in a 5–2 win at home overMonaco.[74] On 10 April 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal with PSG in a 3–2 home defeat against his former club Barcelona in the quarter-final first leg.[75] In the second leg six days later, he scored PSG's first goal in a 4–1 away victory, helping secure his club's qualification to the semi-finals and taking home the player of the match award.[76] At the end of the2023–24 season, Dembélé won the Ligue 1 title with PSG.[77] He also scored the opening goal in PSG's 2–1 win overLyon in the2024 Coupe de France final.[78]
2024–25: Continental treble win and individual accolades
Dembélé during a Champions League tie for PSG againstManchester City in January 2025
On 5 January 2025, Dembélé scored a stoppage-time winner as PSG defeatedMonaco 1–0 in the2024 Trophée des Champions.[79] On 22 January, he scored Paris's first goal in a 4–2 comeback victory overManchester City in the Champions League.[80] On 29 January, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 Champions League victory overVfB Stuttgart, his second career hat-trick and first in European competitions, helping PSG qualify to theknockout phase play-offs.[81] Three days later, Dembélé scored another hat-trick in a 5–2 league win away toBrest, becoming the first PSG player to have scored consecutive hat-tricks in official matches.[82][83] In the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on 11 March, Dembélé scored the equalizing goal on aggregate againstLiverpool.[84][85] He scored in the ensuingpenalty shoot-out as PSG advanced to the quarterfinals.[86][87][88] On 29 April, he scored PSG's only goal in a 1–0 away win overArsenal in the Champions League semi-finals first leg.[89] He assistedAchraf Hakimi's goal in the second leg, helping PSG advance to the final with a 2–1 home victory and setting a new record for the most goal contributions by a player at a French club in a single Champions League campaign, with twelve.[90]
Dembélé ended the season as joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals, along with Marseille'sMason Greenwood, having helped PSG to their 13th league title.[91] He was also named theLigue 1 Player of the Year for the first time, and was included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.[92] On 31 May 2025, Dembélé won the Champions League after PSG beatInter Milan 5–0 inthe final, a match in which he provided two assists.[93] After the final, his statistics for the season were of 33 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions,[94] leading to him being cited as one of the leading candidates for the2025 Ballon d'Or[95], which he ultimately won. At the2025 FIFA Club World Cup, after missing the group stage due to injury, Dembélé scored a goal in a 2–0 win over Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and recorded a goal and assist in a 4–0 win overReal Madrid in the semi-finals. PSG went on to finish as runners-up following a 3–0 final defeat to Chelsea.[96]
2025–26 season
Dembélé won theUEFA Super Cup with PSG on 13 August 2025, scoring in a 4–3 penalty shoot-out aftera 2–2 draw againstTottenham Hotspur. His stoppage-time assist forGonçalo Ramos’s header and his successful penalty in the shoot-out were among the contributions that earned him the Player of the Match award.[97] On 30 August 2025, Dembélé scored his first two goals of the season, two penalties in a 6–3 win away toToulouse,[98] but while on international duty in early September, he suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out of action for six weeks.[99] That same month, he won the2025 Ballon d'Or.[100]
On 17 May 2018, Dembélé was named in the 23-man French squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[104] On 15 July, he was an unused substitute as France beatCroatia 4–2 in thefinal.[105]
Dembélé was called up to the French squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he played all games as France finished the tournament as runner-ups.[106] Dembélé started thefinal but conceded a penalty in the first half and was substituted in the 41st minute.[107]
Dembélé is awinger who can play on either flank, due to his ability to use both feet, and to utilise his technical ability, speed, andagility in order to get past opponents or beatdefenders in one-on-one situations. Dembélé can also operate as a left or right-sidedattacking midfielder in a4–4–2 or3–5–2 formation. His clinical finishing and eye for goal also allow him to be deployed in a more offensive role as astriker. Dembélé also has great quality in terms of his shooting ability from distance.
Often described as one of the best players in the world,[5][6][7] Dembélé has received praise from former team captainAndrés Iniesta for his game-changing qualities.[110] He is well known for hisability to use either foot;[111] a highly skilful player, hisdribbling skills and ability to perform elaborate moves allow him to cut through from the left or right wing in order to score or create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. The Frenchman is also an excellentcrosser of the ball; moreover, his creativity is exceptional when in possession. Furthermore, his pace and intelligent runs make him a major offensive threat duringcounterattacks.
He married a Moroccan woman in a traditional Moroccan ceremony in France in December 2021.[113][114][115] They have a daughter, born September 2022.[116] Dembélé's fatherhood has been credited with him settling down, as he was previously one of Barcelona's most-fined players due to disciplinary issues.[117]
In July 2021, video footage of Dembélé along with teammateAntoine Griezmann circulated online, in which he was seen makingracial comments against the Japanese technicians in their hotel room.[118] As the technicians appeared to be troubleshooting the room's television, Dembélé made comments towards Griezmann in French, stating "All these ugly faces, just so you can playPES, aren't you ashamed?", continuing with "What the fuckin language?" before zooming in on one of the technicians' faces while laughing, mentioning "Are you technologically advanced in your country or not?".[119][120][121]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 25 October 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Rennes en pilotage automatique" [Rennes on auto-pilot].Maville.com (in French). 10 November 2014.Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved13 May 2016.
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